Hand tool such as wrenches and the like



Nov. 28, 1933. J. s. WELLING 1,936,812

HAND TOOL SUCH AS WRENCHES AND THE LIKE Filed March 24, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

QIHTIMEML Nov. 28, 1933. J. s. WELLING 1,936,812

HAND TOOL SUCH AS WRENCHES' AND THE LIKE Filed March 24, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /KW/ M Patented Nov. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES HAND TOOL SUCH AS WRENCHES AND THE LIKE Johannes Siirensen Welling, Hadsund, Denmark,

assignoito Holger Olivarius Christensen,

J omirubakken, Denmark Application March 24, 1932, Serial No. 600,979, and in Denmark April 24, 1931 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to hand-tools such as adjustable wrenches, tube cutters and the like of the type comprising a shank or lever having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw slidably g mounted in a groove or guide-way in the head of the said shank or lever, wherein the adjustment of the movable jaw is effected by rotating a handle on the shank or lever of the tool about the longitudinal axis thereof. The advantage of wrenches or the like of this type consists in the possibility of adjusting the movable jaw of tool by rotating the-handle by means of the hand through which the tool is held at work. This advantage is important where the nut or other work-piece to be tightened or worked upon is diflicult to get at.

In the known constructions of wrenches and the like of this type the guide-way for theslidable jaw, however, could be arranged parallel or in a slight inclination only to the longitudinal axis of the shank or lever of the tool, whereby the jaws of the tool had to project laterally of the shank or lever so thatthe jaws could be engaged with the nut or other work-piece through a lateral or transverse movement only of the tool.

The necessity of such a lateral movement for engaging the tool with the nut or other work-piece frequently will be found inconvenient where access to the nut or other work-piece to be tightened or worked upon is difiicult.

The present invention has for its object to remove this draw-back and to provide a simple and eillcient construction allowing the guide-way for the slidable jaw to be arranged at an arbitrary angle to or more or less transversally of the longitudinal axis of the shank or lever of the tool, whereby the jaws may project more or less forward .in the longitudinal direction of the toolshank at the head thereof, so that the tool can be engaged with the nut or other work-piece through a more or less longitudinal movement of the tool.

In wrenches orthe like of the type referred to, wherein the adjustment of the slidable jaw is effected by rotating the handle on the toolshank about the longitudinal axis thereof, and wherein the said shank is provided with a longitudinally movable screw-spindle operated by means of screw-threads associated with the rotatable handle, it has been proposed to connect the said screw-spindle with the slidable jaw by means of a link in order to make possible a slight inclination of the guide-way for the slidable jaw to the longitudinal axis of the tool-shank. But

in this known construction a very slight inclination only of the guide-way for the movable jaw or a very limited movement only of the movable jaw was obtainable.

In order to allow for an arbitrary inclination or more or less transverse arrangement of the guide-way for the movable jaw, so that the tool may be moved in engagement with the nut or other work-piece substantially in the direction of its length, the movable jaw according to the invention is moved in the direction towards the fixed jaw by the intermediary of a row of rollers or balls movable in a curved guide-way in the tool-shank and interposed between the said longitudinally movable screw-spindle or the like and the movable jaw of the tool, while the movable jaw may be moved in the opposite direction for instance by means of a spring or by the intermediary of a wire or the like connecting the mov-'- able jaw with the longitudinally movable screwspindle or the like. The said rollers or balls or, the like may be interconnected by means of links to form a flexible chain, and the ends of such chain may be attached to the said movable spindle and jaw respectively so that the latter may be moved in either direction through the said chain by rotating the handle in one direction or the other.

Several embodiments of the inventions are described in detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is sectional sideelevation of one embodiment of the invention and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section substantially on the line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention and Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofrathird embodiment of the invention. In Figs. 3 and 4 a cover plate is removed to show underlying elements of construction.

.lower end or made integral therewith. Longitudinal slots 8 are provided in the shank 1 for this cross-piece 7 which is provided with screw-- threads, as shown 'at 9, coacting with internal. screw-threads on the rotatable handle 5 which is retained in its place through the head 11- of a screw 12 screwed into the end of the toolshank 1. The screw 12 has-an extension 13 which constitutes an abutment for limiting the downward movement of the cross-piece 7 and the spindle 6.

The guide-way 3 is arranged at an angle of for instance 60 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the tool-shank 1, and for displacing the movable jaw 4 in this inclined or transverse guidedle .6 and the abutment 14 on the movable jaw respectively. The guide-way 15 may be in the form of a groove cut in one side of the tool-shank and covered on this side by means of a removable cover plate 1'7.

When rotating the handle 5 in the proper direction for moving the spindle 6 upwards the latter will push the row of rollers or balls 16 or the like along in the guide-way 15, whereby the movable jaw 4 will be displaced towards the fixed jaw 2. lhe guide-way 15 has an upper end portion 15a adjacent and parallel to the guide-way 3 for the movable jaw 4 and a lower end portion 15b extending axially of the toolshank. and intermediate these straight end portions 15a and 15b the guide-way 15 is curved so that the curved portion gently merges into the straight end portions and everywhere has a suinciently large radius 01- curvature to exclude any risk for the rollers 16 or balls 16a or the like to become jammed in the groove or guide-way 15.

For displacing the movable jaw 4 in the opposite direction, i.-e. away from the fixed jaw 2,

through rotation of the handle 5 in the reversedirection the movable jaw 4 according to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 is connected with the sliding spindle 6 by means of a flexible strand or wire 18 or the like guided by a roller 19 or the like.

According to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the displacement of the movable jaw 4 away from the fixed jaw 2 at the rotation of the handle in the reverse direction is effected by means of a spring 20.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 the rollers 16 or the like are interconnected through links 21 or the like to form a flexible chain, and the ends of this chain are attached to the upper end of the sliding spindle 6 and the abutment or extension 14 on 'the movable jaw 4 respectively so that the said chain will form a positive driving comiection between the said spindle and jaw at the rotation of the handle 5 in forward as well as in reverse direction. -In this embodiment the rollers 16 or the like may be spaced a suitable distance apart through the links 21 or the like, if desired.

The jaws 2 and 4 of course may be shaped in 23 as shown in Fig. 4, whereby the tool may be used as'a tube cutter. Also in other respects the construction may be varied or modified without departing from the principal features of the invention as outlined in the following claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand tool of the class described, comprising a tool shank having at one end an outwardly extending fixed jaw, a guide transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tool shank and adjacent to the said fixed jaw, and an adjustable jaw movable in said guide, a member mounted on the tool shank for rotation about the longitudinal axis thereof and adapted to be operated by the hand holding the tool at work, and a member mounted in the tool shank movable in the longitudinal direction thereof and operatively connected with the said rotatable member, a flexible motion transmitting mechanism interposed between the longitudinally movable member in the tool shank and the adjustable jaw of the tool and comprising a. plurality of articulate members forming a flexible row engaged at its ends with ihe said longitudinally movable member in the tool shank and with the adjustable jaw respectively, and a rigid guide for ihe said flexible row, said last-mentioned guide consisting of the walls of a groove cut in one side of the tool shank and having an intermediate curved portion and rectilinear end portions one of which extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the tool shank and coincides with the path of the longitudinally movable member therein, while the other is adjacent to and parallel with the transverse first-mentioned guide for the adjustable jaw.

2. A hand tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the plurality of articulate members forming the flexible motion transmitting row are intercom nected-to form a chain, and in which the ends of said chain are attached to, the longitudinally movable member in the tool shank and 10 the adjustable jaw of the tool, respectively.

3. A hand tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the flexible motion transmitting row consists of a plurality of rollable members separate from each other and from the longitudinally movable member in the i001 shank and the adjustable jaw of the tool, and 'in which the adjustable jaw is connected with the longitudinally movable member by means of a flexible member'guided by a guiding member so that the adjustable jaw will be moved away from the fixed jaw through the intermediary of the said flexible member when the ro atable member on the tool shank is rotated in a reverse direction.

4. A hand tool as claimed in claim 1 in which the flexible motion transmitting row consists of a plurality of rollable members separate from each other and from the longitudinally movable member in the tool shank and the adjustable jaw of the tool, and in which the adjustable jaw is connected with the longitudinally movable member by means of a wire guided by a roller so that the adjustable jaw will be moved away from the fixed jaw through the intermediary of the said wire when the rotatable member on the tool shank is rolated in a reverse direction.

JOHANNES soRENsEN WELLING. 

